Over 400 UC professors and academic staff sent a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger last week, objecting to his veto of $5.4 Million for the Miguel Contreras Labor Program which conducts "research and education on issues of labor and employment".  According to the Los Angeles Times:

At a time when unemployment in California is reaching a level not seen in decades, the letter said, the governor's action appears to be politically motivated and an excuse to ax a program his fellow Republicans have sought to kill. ...

"It violates the basic principle of the freedom to speak out and conduct research even on controversial topics," said the letter signed by the professors and staffers from UC and other California colleges and universities.

With California suffering from budget problems and a bad economy, it's a shame that the Governor wants to take money away from this important UC program.  Research programs like these help college students get jobs and help the state better understand unemployment and how to reduce it.  California needs to put more money in education for K-12 and colleges and not leave them behind.